Latest news with #U.K.EqualityAct
Global News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Pedro Pascal calls J.K. Rowling ‘heinous loser' after her U.K. Supreme Court ruling post
Pedro Pascal has called out J.K. Rowling for her 'heinous loser behavior' after the Harry Potter author shared a celebratory post following a U.K. court decision ruling about the definition of 'woman.' The Last of Us actor commented on a video posted to Instagram, calling for a boycott of Rowling's Potter franchise after she was 'reveling' in the U.K. Supreme Court's ruling on April 16, which claimed that a woman is someone born biologically female, excluding transgender people from the legal definition. Activist Tariq Ra'ouf shared the video on social media on April 17 after the U.K. Supreme Court's ruling under the U.K. Equality Act, which means trans women can be excluded from some groups and single-sex spaces such as changing rooms, homeless shelters, swimming areas and medical or counselling services provided only to women. 1:52 Legal definition of a woman based on biological sex, U.K.'s top court rules Pascal commented on the video, writing, 'Awful disgusting S— is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.' Story continues below advertisement Pedro Pascal's comment on Tariq Ra'ouf's post. Instagram In the video, Ra'ouf explained that Rowling financially backed the campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought the case to the Scottish government to exclude transgender people from the legal definition. After the ruling on April 16, Rowling posted a photo of herself on X, smoking a cigar and holding a drink. The author wrote: 'I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights.' Story continues below advertisement Rowling, who reportedly donated tens of thousands of dollars to For Women Scotland, said she was 'so proud' of the 'extraordinary, tenacious' campaigners who took the case on a years-long battle through the courts. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy She wrote on X that 'in winning, they've protected the rights of women and girls across the U.K.' It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they've protected the rights of women and girls across the UK. @ForWomenScot, I'm so proud to know you 🏴💜🏴💚🏴🤍🏴 — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 16, 2025 By April 24, the author had received backlash for sharing the celebratory photo with a drink and a cigar on X. She took to social media to address the criticism, writing, 'If I'd known how much I'd enrage embittered misogynists by smoking a cigar, I'd have had six.' If I'd known how much I'd enrage embittered misogynists by smoking a cigar, I'd have had six. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 24, 2025 Story continues below advertisement Pascal doubled down on his support for the transgender community at a movie premiere in London for the launch of Thunderbolts on April 22. He wore a T-shirt with the statement 'Protect the dolls' written across the front while posing on the red carpet for the new Marvel movie. View image in full screen Pedro Pascal attends the European Premiere of Marvel Studios' 'Thunderbolts*' at Cineworld Leicester Square on April 22, 2025 in London, England. Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited The T-shirt is designed by Conner Ives and the slogan is a show of solidarity with trans women, who are affectionately referred to as 'dolls' in the LGBTQ2+ community. According to Ives' website, proceeds from the sale of the T-shirt are being donated to Trans Lifeline, which is a trans-led U.S.-based charity that offers support to trans people in crisis. View image in full screen Pedro Pascal and sister Lux Pascal attend the Royal Film Performance and Global Premiere of 'Gladiator II' in Leicester Square on Nov. 13, 2024 in London, England. Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage Pascal is a vocal supporter of the transgender community and has spoken about his sister, Lux Pascal, who publicly came out as transgender in February 2021. Story continues below advertisement Lux did an interview with Chilean magazine Ya in 2021 and her brother shared the magazine cover on Instagram, writing, 'Mi hermana, mi corazón, neustra Lux,' which translates to 'My sister, my heart, our Lux.' Lux had previously come out as non-binary, but in the interview, she revealed that she had been in the process of transitioning for a year. In the interview, she credited the Narcos actor for his support during her transition. '(He) has been an important part of this. He's also an artist and has served as a guide for me. He was one of the first people to gift me the tools that started shaping my identity,' she said of her brother. 'Moving through the world as a woman is much more simple for me. But I still advocate for non-binary identities to have a space in society.' Story continues below advertisement Lux also recalled coming out to her brother during a FaceTime call. '[He] asked me how I felt, because I remember he was a little worried,' she recalled. When she told him that she was happy, her brother said, 'Perfect, this is incredible.' In an interview with Esquire in 2023, Pascal said his sister has 'always been one of the most powerful people and personalities I've ever known.' He also said his 'protective side is lethal, but I need her more than she needs me.' — With files from The Associated Press
National Post
24-04-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Mia Hughes: Canada's courts must protect women's sex-based rights, like the U.K.
Article content Within a week of the U.K. Supreme Court issuing a landmark ruling confirming that women are female, the Conservative Party of Canada has taken a small, but long-overdue, step in the same direction. The newly released CPC platform announced it would repeal a federal policy that allows trans-identified men to be housed in women's prisons and committed to ensuring that 'women's spaces and services remain protected in federal institutions and policy.' Article content Article content Article content After years of official political platform silence on the erosion of women's sex-based rights in Canada, this marks the first major promise by any federal political party to confront the legal consequences of gender ideology head-on. The Canadian legal system may also soon be forced to wrestle with the matter. Article content Article content Across the Atlantic on April 16, the U.K.'s highest court delivered clarity that remains sorely lacking in Canada. Five justices ruled that under the U.K. Equality Act, the term 'woman' refers specifically to biological females, and 'sex' denotes biological sex. Article content The ruling further clarified that when it comes to women-only spaces or services, men who identify as women — even those in possession of a gender recognition certificate denoting a female gender identity — do not have a legal right to access those spaces. The judges maintained this was the only interpretation that could be consistent and coherent within the law. Article content Such consistency and coherence have been absent from Canadian law ever since gender identity was embedded in the nation's legal framework. This happened through a gradual process that began with the Northwest Territories in 2002 and culminated in the federal Parliament's passage of Bill C-16 in 2017, amending the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code to include gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination. Article content Protecting gender identity alongside sex isn't just contradictory — it's logically impossible. Ontario's Human Rights Code perfectly demonstrates this doublethink. It permits sex-based segregation in spaces like bathrooms and change rooms to preserve 'human dignity,' yet the Ontario Human Rights Commission's own interpretation of the Code states that trans-identified people 'should be provided access to facilities that are consistent with their lived gender identity.' This means men who identify as women are permitted into female-only spaces, rendering those spaces no longer female-only, while all concern for the safety and dignity of women is tossed aside in the process Article content Article content It should be self-evident that sex matters in contexts where safety, dignity, and vulnerability are at stake. Males in Canada (and elsewhere) commit most sexual offences, and females comprise nearly all the victims. That fact alone ought to justify single-sex spaces. But in Canada, evidence still takes a back seat to ideology.
NBC News
17-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
A look at recent global actions limiting legal recognitions for transgender people
A ruling Wednesday from the top court in the United Kingdom that says the legal definition of a woman is someone whose birth sex is female is the latest high-profile action globally involving the issue of what legal recognitions transgender people are allowed. The spectrum of protections around the world ranges widely, from none at all in a number of countries to the existence of anti-discrimination protections and legal gender identity changes in some others. Here's a look at actions in some countries recently: United Kingdom The decision from U.K. Supreme Court revolved around the U.K. Equality Act, which bars discrimination along protected categories including age, race and sex. The court's ruling said that for the purposes of the act, the definition of a woman is someone born biologically female, which excludes transgender people. The unanimous decision means trans women can be barred from places like women-only changing rooms and homeless shelters and kept from groups like those offering medical or counseling services only to women. But the ruling also said the decision didn't mean transgender people were without any legal protection, because the Equality Act also recognizes gender reassignment as a protected category. Supporters of For Women Scotland, the group that brought the suit, celebrated the decision while advocates for transgender rights called it a setback. Hungary Rights for transgender people were restricted as part of a wider crackdown on LGBTQ communities in Hungary through an amendment to its constitution passed on April 14. The measure was proposed by the ruling coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and easily sailed through Hungary's parliament. Under the new amendment, the nation's constitution says there are two sexes, male and female. A government spokesman called it 'a clarification that legal norms are based on biological reality.' It lays a constitutional groundwork for denying transgender people the ability to have their gender identities protected. Critics of the amendment said it was about humiliating and excluding people, and part of the ruling party's moves toward authoritarianism. The amendment also banned any public events from LGBTQ communities, which Hungary's government has strongly campaigned against in recent years. United States President Donald Trump has made a ban on transgender participation in sports a central focus of his administration. On Wednesday, he sued the state of Maine for not following an executive order he signed that banned transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. In a February meeting with state governors, Trump called out Gov. Janet Mills for not complying with his order, and threatened to pull federal funding, to which Mills replied, 'We'll see you in court.' The administration's lawsuit calls for Maine to be ordered to tell its schools that it's prohibited for males to participate in athletic competition designated for females. Another of Trump's executive orders insists on a rigid definition of the sexes, rather than gender, for federal government purposes. The orders are facing court challenges. For its part, Maine sued the administration after the Department of Agriculture said it was pausing some money for the state's educational programs. A federal judge on Friday ordered the administration to unfreeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program. It's not just on the federal level; the question of legal protections for transgender people is a political issue in many American states as well. In twenty-six states, transgender girls from are banned from girls school sports. Other issues around the country include access to gender-related health care for minors and bathroom access in public spaces like schools and government buildings.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A look at recent global actions limiting legal recognitions for transgender people
A ruling Wednesday from the top court in the United Kingdom that says the legal definition of a woman is someone born biologically female is the latest high-profile action globally involving the issue of what legal recognitions transgender people are allowed. The spectrum of protections around the world ranges widely, from none at all in a number of countries to the existence of anti-discrimination protections and legal gender identity changes in some others. Here's a look at actions in some countries recently: United Kingdom The decision from U.K. Supreme Court revolved around the U.K. Equality Act, which bars discrimination along protected categories including age, race, and sex. The court's ruling said that for the purposes of the act, the definition of a woman is someone born biologically female, which excludes transgender people. The unanimous decision means trans women can be barred from places like women-only changing rooms and homeless shelters and kept from groups like those offer medical or counseling services only to women. But the ruling also said the decision didn't mean transgender people were without any legal protection, because the Equality Act also recognizes gender reassignment as a protected category. Supporters of For Women Scotland, the group that brought the suit, celebrated the decision while advocates for transgender rights called it a setback. Hungary Rights for transgender people were restricted as part of a wider crackdown on LGBTQ+ communities in Hungary through an amendment to its constitution passed on April 14. The measure was proposed by the ruling coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and easily sailed through Hungary's parliament. Under the new amendment, the nation's constitution says there are two sexes, male and female. A government spokesman called it "a clarification that legal norms are based on biological reality.' It lays a constitutional groundwork for denying transgender people the ability to have their gender identities protected. Critics of the amendment said it was about humiliating and excluding people, and part of the ruling party's moves toward authoritarianism. The amendment also banned any public events from LGBTQ+ communities, which Hungary's government has strongly campaigned against in recent years. United States President Donald Trump has made a ban on transgender participation in sports a central focus of his administration. On Wednesday, he sued the state of Maine for not following an executive order he signed that banned transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. In a February meeting with state governors, Trump called out Gov. Janet Mills for not complying with his order, and threatened to pull federal funding, to which Mills replied, "We'll see you in court.' The administration's lawsuit calls for Maine to be ordered to tell its schools that it's prohibited for males to participate in athletic competition designated for females. Another of Trump's executive orders insists on a rigid definition of the sexes, rather than gender, for federal government purposes. The orders are facing court challenges. For its part, Maine sued the administration after the Department of Agriculture said it was pausing some money for the state's educational programs. A federal judge on Friday ordered the administration to unfreeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program. It's not just on the federal level; the question of legal protections for transgender people is a political issue in many American states as well. In twenty-six states, transgender girls from are banned from girls school sports. Other issues around the country include access to gender-related healthcare for minors and bathroom access in public spaces like schools and government buildings.
The Hill
16-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
A look at recent global actions limiting legal recognitions for transgender people
A ruling Wednesday from the top court in the United Kingdom that says the legal definition of a woman is someone born biologically female is the latest high-profile action globally involving the issue of what legal recognitions transgender people are allowed. The spectrum of protections around the world ranges widely, from none at all in a number of countries to the existence of anti-discrimination protections and legal gender identity changes in some others. Here's a look at actions in some countries recently: United Kingdom The decision from U.K. Supreme Court revolved around the U.K. Equality Act, which bars discrimination along protected categories including age, race, and sex. The court's ruling said that for the purposes of the act, the definition of a woman is someone born biologically female, which excludes transgender people. The unanimous decision means trans women can be barred from places like women-only changing rooms and homeless shelters and kept from groups like those offer medical or counseling services only to women. But the ruling also said the decision didn't mean transgender people were without any legal protection, because the Equality Act also recognizes gender reassignment as a protected category. Supporters of For Women Scotland, the group that brought the suit, celebrated the decision while advocates for transgender rights called it a setback. Hungary Rights for transgender people were restricted as part of a wider crackdown on LGBTQ+ communities in Hungary through an amendment to its constitution passed on April 14. The measure was proposed by the ruling coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and easily sailed through Hungary's parliament. Under the new amendment, the nation's constitution says there are two sexes, male and female. A government spokesman called it 'a clarification that legal norms are based on biological reality.' It lays a constitutional groundwork for denying transgender people the ability to have their gender identities protected. Critics of the amendment said it was about humiliating and excluding people, and part of the ruling party's moves toward authoritarianism. The amendment also banned any public events from LGBTQ+ communities, which Hungary's government has strongly campaigned against in recent years. United States President Donald Trump has made a ban on transgender participation in sports a central focus of his administration. On Wednesday, he sued the state of Maine for not following an executive order he signed that banned transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. In a February meeting with state governors, Trump called out Gov. Janet Mills for not complying with his order, and threatened to pull federal funding, to which Mills replied, 'We'll see you in court.' The administration's lawsuit calls for Maine to be ordered to tell its schools that it's prohibited for males to participate in athletic competition designated for females. Another of Trump's executive orders insists on a rigid definition of the sexes, rather than gender, for federal government purposes. The orders are facing court challenges. For its part, Maine sued the administration after the Department of Agriculture said it was pausing some money for the state's educational programs. A federal judge on Friday ordered the administration to unfreeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program. It's not just on the federal level; the question of legal protections for transgender people is a political issue in many American states as well. In twenty-six states, transgender girls from are banned from girls school sports. Other issues around the country include access to gender-related healthcare for minors and bathroom access in public spaces like schools and government buildings.
